Dean of Students

Information for Faculty and Staff

The Office of the Dean of Students was established to provide an entry point for students
who need assistance solving problems. To that end, we want to work in cooperation
with you and become a solution-center for students as they experience difficulties.

One significant way we can work together is in identifying and providing help to students
in distress. You're often the frontline for identifying these students, and we want
to work with you to find a successful resolution for everyone.

Providing a safety net for our students

As you begin to create your syllabi we recommend that you include one of the following
examples of information:

Syllabi Insert #1:

If you are experiencing undue personal or academic stress at any time during the semester
or need to talk with someone about a personal problem or situation, I encourage you
to seek support as soon as possible. I am available to talk with you about stresses
related to your work in my class. Additionally, I can assist you in reaching out to
any one of a wide range of campus resources, including:

Syllabi Insert #2:

Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry,
or problems with eating and/or sleeping can interfere with optimal academic performance.
The source of symptoms might be largely related to your course work; if so, I invite
you to speak with me (or your other professors) directly. However, problems with relationships, family
worries, loss, or a personal struggle or crisis can also contribute to decreased academic
performance, and may require additional professional support. Binghamton University
provides a variety of support resources: the Dean of Students Office and University
Counseling Center offer coaching on ways to reduce the impact to your grades. Both
of these resources can help you manage personal challenges that impact your well-being
or ability to thrive at Binghamton University. Accessing them, especially early on,
as symptoms develop, can help support your academic success as a University student.

In the event I feel you could benefit from such support, I will express my concerns
(and the reasons for them) to you and remind you of our resources. While I do not
need to know the details of what is going on for you, your ability to share some of
your situation with me will help me connect you with the appropriate support.

Additionally, if you are concerned that a student is exhibiting personality or behavioral
changes such as a lack of interest or engagement with others or signs of aggression,
contacting the Student of Concern Committee (SOC) would be a great first step and
can:

Help to coordinate the University response to students who demonstrate violence, threats
to self or others, or are significantly disruptive.

Develop action plans intended to support student and community safety, prevent violence,
support student development and maintain a campus environment conducive to learning.

Consult with faculty, staff and students involved in or affected by a student's behavior,
and other individuals as appropriate.

The committee's goal is to foster early identification of concerns about students.
Early review of problematic situations can reduce the impact to a student and/or the
classroom, social or living environment.

To speak with a member of the Students of Concern Committee, contact the Dean of Students
Office at 607-777-2804 or dos@binghamton.edu.

If unsure about bringing a person to the attention of the SOC Committee, contact the
case manager, Beth Riley, for more information at briley@binghamton.edu or 777-2804.

When consulting with the case manager only those with a need-to-know will be brought
into the circle of information. Consulting with the case manager does not mean the
student of concern's situation is automatically brought to the SOC Committee.

Providing help for distressed students

If you suspect you're dealing with a distressed student, we recommend taking action
at the first sign of a problem. Our end goal, of course, is to allow for the learning
process to continue.

Our office can assist by:

helping to centralize information about students of concern; if the individual causes
a problem in a classroom, chances are he/she is having problems in other places on
campus

providing advice about how to approach a student of concern; we work with many academic
and Student Affairs offices that will provide assistance to you and the student

coordinating disciplinary action and/or mental health assistance for the student in
question if there is a need

Signs to help identify a distressed student

the once organized, timely and cooperative student doesn't seem to be that way now

the student may be unusually quiet or absent

the student may not communicate (doesn't talk or do assignments as needed, or appropriately)

the student’s demeanor or appearance may change

the student may be quietly distressed – perhaps depressed or forlorn; these students
may take longer to notice than angry, belligerent or disorganized students

the student may be angry, belligerent or disorganized; we always recommend that behavior
be addressed first and these students should be confronted regarding their behavior

Note: Allow the student to disclose what is distressing him/her. If others have information,
the Office of the Dean of Students can help collect the information, as appropriate,
in a case conference format.